Kuwait makes big headway in the realms of health, medical services

(MENAFN - Arab Times) The State of Kuwait will boastfully join the international community in celebrating the World Health Day, falling on Monday, having made substantial headways in the health and medical services' realms. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Kuwait "achieved 100 percent progress" in more than eight vital health services' sectors, in tandem with advanced nations. The health care sector has witnessed continuous development, with the authorities devoting particular concern to securing medical centers and hospitals in all the governorates. Kuwaiti Constitution guarantees citizen right to full health services and the Ministry of Health offers them for free for citizens in and outside the country. Moreover, expatriates are also furnished with medical care for token charges.

The expanded sector includes 72 medical centers, 29 government hospitals, with a 8,000-bed capacity. It is also marked with a chain of emergency wards, centers for mothers, families and children's care, dentistry clinics in addition to medical teams that accompany the pilgrims during the hajj. Particular attention is given to treating epidemics, dispatching patients who cannot be treated locally abroad. In 2006, Kuwait National Cooperative Projects Committee and Kuwait Cooperative Societies Union granted donations to build the Cooperative Hospital, the first specialized center for cardiac diseases in Kuwait, construction of which cost up to KD 14 million.

In 2008, Faisal Sultan Bin Essa Center for Radiodiagnosis and Radiotherapy was opened, with aim of furnishing the citizens with treatment against cancer. The Kuwaiti philanthropist Faisal Bin Issa and the Ministry of Health contributed to covering costs of the building construction and equipment procurement. The two-storey building encompasses a radiotherapy treatment room, a biomedical engineering ward, a section for public relations patient's relations, nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology wards, a library and a lecture hall. In 2010, Kuwait witnessed inauguration of Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Cardiac Diseases. It was quipped with state-of-art devices.

The State expenditure on health, in 2010, amounted to KD 1.02 billion and rose to KD 1.17 billion the next year. In 2012, the Ministry of Health mapped out a scheme to overhaul the health sector, envisaging construction of nine multi-storey medical centers with an overall capacity of 5,000 beds. Furthermore, the ministry is establishing an electronic medical file for pooling data and information among doctors. For sake of alleviating patients' turn-up at hospitals and medical centers, the ministry has decided to open the medical centers at night in all residential districts of Kuwait. It is also expanding hospitals to be able to receive a larger number of patients from among the citizens and the residents. Expansion projects, costing KD 1.145 billion, cover nine hospitals and medical centers. The public health administration building is also being expanded at a cost of KD 12.5 million, in addition to spending some KD 109.8 million on overhauling and upgrading hospitals and medical centers